by Ryan | Sep 26, 2018 | Branding, Design News, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Workplace Design
r.o.i. Design has been supporting Ryan Ogle and BluHouse with interior design for many years, and we were part of the team for their recent expansion. Along with interior design, we provided graphic design and product procurement to assist in getting their space operational in time for the busy 2018 real estate season.
We worked with architect Tim Allspach, builder Kevin Cook, and BluHouse’s own team of builders, Mariani Construction, to complete the project. The complete remodel included almost 4,000 square feet of office space.
The office includes a combination of private offices and open office space supported by tiny private areas for team members to use for calls and focused work. The reception wall makes use of reclaimed wood, which was locally sourced from Grand Rapids Pallets. Throughout the space are accents of “BluHouse Blue” and the inclusion of some of Ryan’s key “finds and treasures”. A dynamic team photo wall makes a bold statement at one end of the space.
Ryan Ogle started BluHouse in 2007. He has grown the company to include an active team of realtors, property managers and remodelers, and marketing consultants through a variety of privately held and related businesses.
Their first offices on Wealthy Street in Eastown became cramped and impractical, so over a few years, business segments were relocated to other facilities. BluHouse Properties, the real estate business, moved to East Paris in 2016 but expanded their presence there in 2018.
For more about BluHouse Properties, Rent Blu, and 7thRow Creative go to thinkbluhouse.com, rentblu.com, and think7th.com.
by Ryan | Dec 18, 2017 | Branding, Design News, Hospitality Design, Interior Design, Procurement and Purchasing
Apartment complex developments depend on their leasing office and shared amenities to give their customers a sense of their brand and values. Those spaces also say something about the company’s aesthetic. Hidden Lakes Apartments in Kentwood, Michigan initiated a two-year remodeling of their clubhouse, game room, leasing office and outdoor pool in 2015.
Wolverine Building Group project manager, Landon Jones, contacted r.o.i. Design to design the interiors. The project celebrated its grand reopening in November 2017.
In addition to selecting all finishes, r.o.i. Design selected all art and furnishings, supplying many of them. The clubhouse lounge furnishings look amazing! Great job, thanks to Ronda Geyer, our Procurement and Purchasing Manager.
Some other favorite elements of the remodeled space include:
- Large format wall tile and a wall hung credenza in the Lobby
- New LED chandeliers in the Clubhouse Lounge
- Recessed wall fireplace and built-ins in the Leasing Office
- Wall finishes in the Restrooms
by Ryan | Apr 26, 2017 | Branding, Design News, Interior Design
We pride ourselves on being a commercial interior design group that has experience in a variety of environments. In the last few years our work has created office environments (from manufacturers to a variety of service providers), retail environments (from stores to neighborhood dental/orthodontic practices), schools (charter schools and higher education spaces), hospitality and multi-family spaces (hotels and apartments), and religious spaces (worship and educational related).
Campus View Apartments, Clubhouse – Allendale, MI
While there is variety in the types of spaces, our customers have some key attributes in common:
- They have a budget
- They have a company story, a brand. Sometimes it is more developed than others.
- They want their space to appeal and attract customers as well as please current and future employees.
River House Condo – Grand Rapids, MI
Our design process, early in concept design, includes budget development. Our experience working with contractors and owners has given us perspective and knowledge that can identify budget issues early on, before all the design fees are spent.
Concept and developed design needs to reflect who the company is. We interview our clients, we listen as well as we can, and then summarize back to our customers what we heard.
Wolverine Power Cooperative, Conference Room – Cadillac, MI
Everyone wants their space to be beautiful. But even more importantly, it needs to attract the target customer and maintain and inspire the ideal customer. This is a focused aesthetic, delivered with restraint.
For more information, see our current company brochure:
by Ryan | Apr 24, 2017 | Branding, Design News, Designing for Kids, Medical Design
So much more than runny noses, vaccinations, bumps and scrapes, a pediatric practice is a sophisticated business that manages the physical, behavioral and mental health issues for newborns through teenagers. There are lots of challenges, so the office design needs to create an environment that offers some efficiency and some fun.
r.o.i. Design learned so much working with ABC Pediatrics as we helped them with the interior design of their new offices in Wyoming, MI. We learned how they wanted to engage families with their interiors, but not be just “kid-like”. They wanted their space to look professional and simple, but very welcoming and comfortable. They needed it to be user friendly for staff and family which meant maintainable surfaces and easily identifiable areas. And there was a budget.
ABC Pediatrics Lobby
Starting with a color scheme that they currently use in their Walker location, r.o.i. Design “upped the ante” by intensifying some of the colors, adding pattern and interest, in thoughtful ways. Some of our favorite elements are the carpet accents, the color accents, the decorative lighting and the lobby furniture. Wall art will soon be added to the interior and we like those selections as well.
Interior corridor at ABC Pediatrics.
ABC Pediatrics also asked us to create a new logo for their practice. They wanted a logo that was as updated as their offices were, but more importantly, a representation of their brand. Interviewing them about how they viewed their distinctive difference, we came away with “Caring”, “Diverse” (ages and specialties), and “Child Centered”. They were very pleased with their new business logo designed by Ryan Bright, Creative Executive at r.o.i. Design.
ABC Pediatrics’ new logo.
More about designing for kids
r.o.i. Design has designed for younger audiences before so we had some clues on how this audience reacts to spaces. We know they see color differently than adults and appreciate any tactile detail. For more on our recent work for younger people please visit our page on Black River Schools and Northern Michigan Pediatric Dentistry.
More about ABC Pediatrics
Having outgrown their offices in Grandville, ABC decided to build a building that would be large enough to accommodate their expected growth of families from the south west side of Grand Rapids. Architect-at-Large created the footprint, and Pinnacle Construction was engaged to build the building, and when ABC inquired about interior design, Pinnacle recommended us for the assignment.
Learn more about ABC Pediatrics:
by Ryan | Aug 31, 2016 | Branding, Design News, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Retail Design
r.o.i. Design has been designing for retail for more than 20 years, but now that schools and universities have discovered their customers expect the same kinds of retail experiences on campus as they do in their communities, more than ever we find ourselves working for these institutions. On-campus stores are faced with new business challenges, and they have to be profitable in a time of change.
Products:
Unlike what the doomsayers predicted five years ago, books are still being sold in campus bookstores. But online competitors and used book providers continue to eat away at that business. Incoming freshman graduated from high schools where there were textbooks, and professors are still writing and using textbooks, so until those two trends change, there will be books in campus stores.
So the savvy campus stores are looking at other products and services that will eventually eclipse book sales. Leading categories today appear to be technology & communication (equipment and their repair), fashion & apparel, campus services (printing, product rentals, grocery, HBA, etc.) and entertainment (food service, movies and more).
Layout & Aesthetics:
Whether it is a gift shop, a concession stand, a book store, a copy center or a hotel, all these on-campus environments are being compared to their off-campus competitors. Very few students or staff are confined to campus for discretionary shopping.
While convenient, most outdated retail experiences on campus are seeing reduced sales.
Key retail design elements include lighting, store layout and merchandising, wayfinding and signage, and intuitive, easy check-out experiences. Store displays have to be clear and fresh.
Service:
Perhaps more difficult to change than product mix or store layout is the store culture and service attitude provided by staff. An institution that has previously considered all customer interface as administrative is now looking at how to change employee mind-sets. The new overall need for staff to be more flexible is paramount; to be open to work different hours, to work different jobs and to continue to be open to change. HR attitudes has further challenged some on-campus stores profitability.
The more on-campus stores can employ students and work to develop structures that hire and train students, the more successful their retailing will be.
This type of service situation (not just found in campus retail but in all retailers) motivated r.o.i. Design to start a consulting arm of their business where they work with teams to support these kinds of changes. See Accelerate ROI.
Marketing and Promotion:
Successful stores have independent marketing agendas and strategies, separate from the institution and marketing to the institution. Sometimes this means changes in staffing so there are resources internally available to support this effort.
Students need reminders of retail locations and what is being sold at those locations, continually. Social media and crowd-sourcing for marketing is undeniably the best tool to use on college campuses.
by Ryan | Aug 31, 2016 | Branding, Design News, Designing Public Areas, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Workplace Design
Campus View has been growing alongside Grand Valley State University for the last 50 years with a large inventory of apartments and town homes, and thousands of happy tenants. But as Grand Valley grows so do options for leasing and Campus View wanted to make their initial experience with potential new tenants reflect who they were more completely.
r.o.i. Design was engaged to redesign the “customer experience” in their lobby and entry. Campus View has made continual investment in amenities but those investments aren’t always visible to customers on their first visit, so the lobby had to become a welcome center and a “billboard”.
Removing the wall and counter that separated leasing staff from the inquiring customers was crucial. Opening up the space meant finding a way to lock down the office after hours, so r.o.i. Design created large sliding doors, that when closed, created a warm backdrop for the lobby.
The use of maple plywood to create office dividers, sliding doors, sales desk and the decorative panels in the hallway eliminated the coldness of the painted concrete block without having to drywall the entire space. The smaller block wall in the lobby was custom painted giving the block an intentional “artsy” look.
Campus View was so happy with the outcome that they sent us a personal thank-you that read, “We’re overjoyed with our updated facility and impressed with every aspect of working with your team. Thanks and we’d be thrilled to be a reference anytime. Cheers!”
For more about Campus View Apartments and Townhouses, click here.
